Directions: your group is responsible for compiling and creating responses to all sections and will be graded on the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. In addition, your response must include material covered in class, not information "cut and pasted" from on-line study guides. Assignment is worth 100 points. Remember, you are helping your classmates by providing a complete response.
1) Plot Summary (no more than 250 words please):
The epic poem, Beowulf, is one which began its journey being passed down orally through the mouths of eighth century Anglo-Saxon people. Eventually ,the tale found rest in written word. In this brave tale, King Hrothgar of the Danes leads a kingdom who is terrorized by a monster named Grendel. The attacks occur every night at Herot, which is Hrothgar's mead hall. A Geatish warrior named Beowulf, comes and offers his help to kill Grendel. That night Grendel strikes, but Beowulf kills him with his bare hands. Beowulf is rewarded with treasures and praise. Grendel's injury and death makes Grendel's mother furious, so she goes to the mead hall where everyone is asleep or exhausted from drinking, and she kills them. This a sign that Grendel's mother wants to kill Beowulf. So Beowulf heads to the entrance of the underwater cave with a sword from Unferth. But the sword is not successful in slaying Grendel, so he finds a sword made by giants in her armory, and he slays her. Beowulf is rewarded with even more praise. He leaves to head back to his own home, where he becomes king years later. The dragon brings terror to his kingdom, and Beowulf faces his hardest battle yet. Wiglaf tags along, and helps him to kill the dragon. In the end, the dragon is slain, but Beowulf is hurt in the process. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to rule his people, and he dies.
2) Major Characters, Description, and Relationships:
Beowulf- (Geat) He is the son of Edgetho and is as strong as ten men. He fought and killed Grendel with his barehands. With the Giant's sword he killed Grendel's mother. He later proved himself to be a great leader and king before dying as a result of injuries he recieved from fighting the dragon.
Hrothgar- (Dane) Son of Healfdane and the King of the Danes. He was unable to protect his people from Grendel. He paid a blood debt for Beowulf's father.
Wealtheow- She is the wife of Hrothgar, her marriage to Hrothgar brought peace between two fighting villages.
Grendel- A descendant of Cain. He has some human-like qualities,but he is nothing more than a monster. He terrorized the Danes until being defeated by Beowulf.
Grendel's Mother- Referred to as a “she-wolf”. She sought vengeance for the death of her son and attacked Herot. She was defeated by Beowulf in her underwater lair.
Dragon- Beowulf killed him with the help of Wiglaf (Wiglaf injured the dragon by striking lower down, allowing Beowulf to slit the dragon in half). Beowulf died from injuries received from the battle.
Wiglaf- (Geat) He is the only one who remained by Beowulf's side and aided him when he was losing the battle with the dragon.
Unferth- (Dane) He was skeptical of Beowulf at the beginning, but after Beowulf's victory over Grendel he apologized for doubting him. Before Beowulf goes to fight Grendel's mother Unfeth gives him his family sword, Hrunting.
3) Literary Terms discussed in class (including a brief definition and how they relate to the text):
Beowulf is a poem, and it resembles a heroic epic poem
Alliterative Verse - a verse form that uses alliteration as one of the major organizing principles of a poetic line
-Consists of two half-lines separated by a strong pause known as a caesura
Example:
Alliteration - repetition of consonants sound at beginning of words
Formulas - stock phrases, ready-made phrases which fulfill the metrical needs of a line or half-line
ex. folce to frofre "as a comfort to the people"
geong in geardum "young in the courtyard"
Kenning - a compound of two words in the place of another, a metaphoric name
ex. banhus means "bone-house", refers to the human body
hronrad means "whale's road", refers to the sea
Litotes - excessive understatement
-Intentional, often ironic
Metonymy - one thing is used to designate something with which it is commonly associated
ex. using "cup" for "mead"
Synecdoche - a part of something is used to designate the whole
ex. using "keel" for "ship"
Caesura
- A pause or break within a line of a poem. Correspondes with a natural rythym within the language. Commonly used in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
Epithat
- Discriptive word or phrase, various meaning when applied to real or fictious people, and objects.
ex. "whale-road" meaning the sea.
4) How has the writer created meaning? In other words, what choices has he made in plot structure, point of view, character, setting, tone, style and/or symbol in order to convey meaning?:
Plot Structure
Follows an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution (denoument)
Structure could be interpreted two ways:
1. Bipartite Structure: Beowulf as a young man, Beowulf as an old man
2. Tripartite Structure: Beowulf's different stages in life
Opponents:
Grendel
Grendel's Mother
Dragon
Age:
young
middle-age
old
Weapon:
bare hands
sword
sword
Personality:
arrogant
more intelligent
not as selfish
Company:
alone
alone
Wiglaf
Point of View
-Omniscient Third Person from a Christian perspective
-See into the minds of characters like Grendel
- Narrator moves back and forth through time.
Setting
-Dark Ages between 500 and 700 A.D.
-Danish kingdom ruled by Hrothgar (present day: Copenhagen, Denmark)
-Mead Hall for feasting and drinking, where Grendel had attacked every night
-Underwater cave where Beowulf fights Grendel's mother
-Land of the Geats in Sweden, where Beowulf fights a dragon terrorizing his kingdom
Tone
-Enthusiastic: about Beowulf's achievements
-Solemn: when Beowulf is in a fight
Foreshadowing
-Gives readers of an indication of things to come. Ex. When Hrothgar warns Beowulf that dangers of living a pridefull life, this foreshadows Beowulf life in the future.
Symbol -Golden Torque: given to Beowulf by Wealtheow, symbol of loyalty, kinship
-Banquet: represents restoration of order and harmony to Danish people, rebirth of comunity
-Heorot: Represents the achievements of Hrothgar and his people. Heorot is warm, cozy, live, energetic which is a contrast to Grendel's cave which is cold, dark, scary.
-Dragon's treasure: Represents human desire. The treasure in the end becomes worthless as the dragon can not use it and Beowulf dies along with it.
-Grendel's Claw & Head: Is symbolized as a treasure for the people, who hung the claw in the meadhall. Later when Beowulf is in the cave he decides to take grendel's hed instead of the many other treasure the cave possesed.
5) Themes/Motifs (at least 4):
Themes
Good Conquers Evil
-Beowulf represents the good, while the Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon represent the evil
Actions Speak Louder than Words
-Unferth envies Beowulf, but Unferth does nothing to stop Grendel's terror.
Life is a Continuing Struggle
-After Beowulf defeats Grendel, Grendel's mother seeks revenge, but Beowulf also kills her. When Beowulf is old, he has to face the dragon. He kills the dragon, but suffers from a fatal wound. After he dies, his land faces troubles with neighboring tribes.
Loyalty (Help Thy Neighbor)
-Beowulf helps Hrothgar each time Hrothgar needs him like conquering Grendel and is mother. He has no ulterior motives (no desire for the throne), he just wants to help Hrothgar and do what is right.
-Beowulf's men, however, do not possess the same degree of loyalty. When Beowulf is in danger, like in the dragon's lair, they flee except for Wiglaf.
-It shows that if one is loyal, it can elevate a person from ordinary to heroic.
Kinship
- Beowulf displays how kinship was important to the Anglo-Saxon society. When introduced every main character references back to his family heritage.
- The characters in Beowulf are proud of their heritage and desire to live up towards the heroic ideals in order to give their family a good name.
Motifs
Monsters
-Ominous sign from God—a sign of bad things to come
-Represent an inhuman presence in society that must be eliminated in order for the society's safety
-Grendel and his mother wreak havoc in Heorot, so Beowulf must kill them for order to be restored
-Outsiders, existing beyond the boundaries of human realms (ex. Grendel and his mother live in an underwater cave far away from society)
-Grendel: descendant of Cain. Represents the evil of marauding and killing others.
-Grendel's mother: similar to Devil, could have seduced Beowulf
-Dragon: represents sin, and inevitable encounter with death since Beowulf dies after killing dragon
Meadhall
-Heorot (Hrothgar's great hall in Denmark)
-Provide entertainment, beverages, food, and singing
-Represents a safe haven for warriors returning from battle
-A place of community - where traditions are preserved, loyalty is rewarded, stories are told, and reputations are spread
-Represents the generosity of the community
Spoken Word
-Establishes one's identity and helps to spread reputations
-Celebration of cultural heroes
-Learn about others and make their stories known
-Ex. Grendel's story about his competition with Breca
The Great Banquet
- The Great Banquest after Grendel's defeat represents the restoration of the Danish community and their sense of peace.
6) Quotes from the text that capture major themes (at least 3):
"Grendel's hatred began,/...the monster relished his savage war/ On the Danes, keeping the bloody feud/ Alive, seeking no peace, offering/ No truce, accepting no settlement, no price/ In gold or
land, and paying the living/ For one crime only with another. No one/ Waited for reparation from his plundering claws:/ That shadow of
death hunted in the darkness,/ Stalked Hrothgar's warriors."
pg. 28,
lines 151-160
This represents the endless cycle which the Danes face against the monster, Grendel, until he is defeated by Beowulf.
Quote 16: "When we crossed the sea, my comrades/ And I, I already knew that all/ My purpose was this: to win the good will/ Of your people or die in battle, pressed/ In Grendel's fierce grip. Let me live in greatness/ And courage, or here in this hall welcome/ My death!"pg. 43,
lines 632-638
Firstly, this represents loyalty, because Beowulf is stating how his purpose is to help his neighbors, the Danes, in this time of peril. Additionally, the quote represents the courage within the hero, Beowulf, regardless of the difficult situation.
7) Interpretive Questions (at least 3):
1. Is Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, "Saw that a creature / from above had come to explore her wer world. She welcomed him into her claw s, / clutched at him savagly, but could not harm him, / Tried to worve her fingers through the tight / ring-woven mail on his breast, but tore / and scratched in vain. Then she carried him, armor / And sword and all, to her home; he struggled / To free his weapon" (p. 70, lines 1499-1507) implying a more sexual encounter?
2. Are Beowulf’s intentions for the good of the Geats or for the advancement of his own fame?
3. Beowulf's downfall can be credited to several factors, however, what was the major factor/reason to Beowulf's downfall?
8) Historical/Social Influences on text (include relevant author biography):
While exactly who wrote Beowulf is unknown, the person’s values and that of their society are highly evident throughout the epic poem. In the poem there is an influence of two religions, Paganism and Christianity. Pagans valued fame and vengeance. At one point in the poem Beowulf states, “It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them” (67). Since Beowulf can be observed as one of the earliest forms of a type of code for 8th century Anglo-Saxon warriors, the incorporation of ideas like vengeance of peers is typical.
The Pagans also had a love for treasure. “And this dragon’s treasure, his gold/And everything hidden in that tower, will be mine/ Or war will sweep me to a bitter death” (102). This quote proves that Beowulf valued pride and gold enough to be willing to die for it. Beowulf was willing to die in the name of pride; this was an important part of Pagan life, as well as braveness. Braveness, however, is not limited to any certain part in this novel, but is especially shown in the journeys that Beowulf endears.
Beowulf was also cremated. "Now the fire must feed on his body,/ Flames flames grow heavy and black with him". Cremation during this time was done by the Pagans (Christians buried their dead as they believed was a sanctuary and should not be dealt with in such a barbaric manner.) Also, Christian values are shown by the constant mentioning of God (Christians in contrast to Pagans believe in only one God). “Our Holy Father/ Has sent him a sign of His grace, a mark/ Of His favor, to help us defeat Grendel/ And end that terror” (35). Hrothgar thought of Beowulf as an omen from God to help the Danes defeat Grendel. In addition to the many mentions of God by name, there is also mention of a story from the Bible, the one of Cain and Abel. This creates two types of beings, one evil (represented by Cain), and the other good (represented by Abel). Other Anglo-Saxon values shown in Beowulf include the giving of gifts (Hrothgar gives Beowulf gifts after he defeats Grendel), friendship, and the idea of heroism.
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Directions: your group is responsible for compiling and creating responses to all sections and will be graded on the completeness and accuracy of the information provided. In addition, your response must include material covered in class, not information "cut and pasted" from on-line study guides. Assignment is worth 100 points. Remember, you are helping your classmates by providing a complete response.
1) Plot Summary (no more than 250 words please):
The epic poem, Beowulf, is one which began its journey being passed down orally through the mouths of eighth century Anglo-Saxon people. Eventually ,the tale found rest in written word. In this brave tale, King Hrothgar of the Danes leads a kingdom who is terrorized by a monster named Grendel. The attacks occur every night at Herot, which is Hrothgar's mead hall. A Geatish warrior named Beowulf, comes and offers his help to kill Grendel. That night Grendel strikes, but Beowulf kills him with his bare hands. Beowulf is rewarded with treasures and praise. Grendel's injury and death makes Grendel's mother furious, so she goes to the mead hall where everyone is asleep or exhausted from drinking, and she kills them. This a sign that Grendel's mother wants to kill Beowulf. So Beowulf heads to the entrance of the underwater cave with a sword from Unferth. But the sword is not successful in slaying Grendel, so he finds a sword made by giants in her armory, and he slays her. Beowulf is rewarded with even more praise. He leaves to head back to his own home, where he becomes king years later. The dragon brings terror to his kingdom, and Beowulf faces his hardest battle yet. Wiglaf tags along, and helps him to kill the dragon. In the end, the dragon is slain, but Beowulf is hurt in the process. Beowulf asks Wiglaf to rule his people, and he dies.
2) Major Characters, Description, and Relationships:
Beowulf- (Geat) He is the son of Edgetho and is as strong as ten men. He fought and killed Grendel with his barehands. With the Giant's sword he killed Grendel's mother. He later proved himself to be a great leader and king before dying as a result of injuries he recieved from fighting the dragon.
Hrothgar- (Dane) Son of Healfdane and the King of the Danes. He was unable to protect his people from Grendel. He paid a blood debt for Beowulf's father.
Wealtheow- She is the wife of Hrothgar, her marriage to Hrothgar brought peace between two fighting villages.
Grendel- A descendant of Cain. He has some human-like qualities,but he is nothing more than a monster. He terrorized the Danes until being defeated by Beowulf.
Grendel's Mother- Referred to as a “she-wolf”. She sought vengeance for the death of her son and attacked Herot. She was defeated by Beowulf in her underwater lair.
Dragon- Beowulf killed him with the help of Wiglaf (Wiglaf injured the dragon by striking lower down, allowing Beowulf to slit the dragon in half). Beowulf died from injuries received from the battle.
Wiglaf- (Geat) He is the only one who remained by Beowulf's side and aided him when he was losing the battle with the dragon.
Unferth- (Dane) He was skeptical of Beowulf at the beginning, but after Beowulf's victory over Grendel he apologized for doubting him. Before Beowulf goes to fight Grendel's mother Unfeth gives him his family sword, Hrunting.
3) Literary Terms discussed in class (including a brief definition and how they relate to the text):
Beowulf is a poem, and it resembles a heroic epic poem- Alliterative Verse - a verse form that uses alliteration as one of the major organizing principles of a poetic line
-Consists of two half-lines separated by a strong pause known as a caesuraExample:
- Formulas - stock phrases, ready-made phrases which fulfill the metrical needs of a line or half-line
ex. folce to frofre "as a comfort to the people"geong in geardum "young in the courtyard"
- Kenning - a compound of two words in the place of another, a metaphoric name
ex. banhus means "bone-house", refers to the human bodyhronrad means "whale's road", refers to the sea
- Litotes - excessive understatement
-Intentional, often ironic- Metonymy - one thing is used to designate something with which it is commonly associated
ex. using "cup" for "mead"- Synecdoche - a part of something is used to designate the whole
ex. using "keel" for "ship"- Caesura
- A pause or break within a line of a poem. Correspondes with a natural rythym within the language. Commonly used in Anglo-Saxon poetry.- Discriptive word or phrase, various meaning when applied to real or fictious people, and objects.
ex. "whale-road" meaning the sea.4) How has the writer created meaning? In other words, what choices has he made in plot structure, point of view, character, setting, tone, style and/or symbol in order to convey meaning?:
- Plot Structure
Follows an exposition, a rising action, a climax, a falling action, and a resolution (denoument)Structure could be interpreted two ways:
1. Bipartite Structure: Beowulf as a young man, Beowulf as an old man
2. Tripartite Structure: Beowulf's different stages in life
- Point of View
-Omniscient Third Person from a Christian perspective-See into the minds of characters like Grendel
- Narrator moves back and forth through time.
- Setting
-Dark Ages between 500 and 700 A.D.-Danish kingdom ruled by Hrothgar (present day: Copenhagen, Denmark)
-Mead Hall for feasting and drinking, where Grendel had attacked every night
-Underwater cave where Beowulf fights Grendel's mother
-Land of the Geats in Sweden, where Beowulf fights a dragon terrorizing his kingdom
- Tone
-Enthusiastic: about Beowulf's achievements-Solemn: when Beowulf is in a fight
- Foreshadowing
-Gives readers of an indication of things to come. Ex. When Hrothgar warns Beowulf that dangers of living a pridefull life, this foreshadows Beowulf life in the future.- Symbol -Golden Torque: given to Beowulf by Wealtheow, symbol of loyalty, kinship
-Banquet: represents restoration of order and harmony to Danish people, rebirth of comunity-Heorot: Represents the achievements of Hrothgar and his people. Heorot is warm, cozy, live, energetic which is a contrast to Grendel's cave which is cold, dark, scary.
-Dragon's treasure: Represents human desire. The treasure in the end becomes worthless as the dragon can not use it and Beowulf dies along with it.
-Grendel's Claw & Head: Is symbolized as a treasure for the people, who hung the claw in the meadhall. Later when Beowulf is in the cave he decides to take grendel's hed instead of the many other treasure the cave possesed.
5) Themes/Motifs (at least 4):
Themes
- Good Conquers Evil
-Beowulf represents the good, while the Grendel, Grendel's mother, and the dragon represent the evil- Actions Speak Louder than Words
-Unferth envies Beowulf, but Unferth does nothing to stop Grendel's terror.- Life is a Continuing Struggle
-After Beowulf defeats Grendel, Grendel's mother seeks revenge, but Beowulf also kills her. When Beowulf is old, he has to face the dragon. He kills the dragon, but suffers from a fatal wound. After he dies, his land faces troubles with neighboring tribes.- Loyalty (Help Thy Neighbor)
-Beowulf helps Hrothgar each time Hrothgar needs him like conquering Grendel and is mother. He has no ulterior motives (no desire for the throne), he just wants to help Hrothgar and do what is right.-Beowulf's men, however, do not possess the same degree of loyalty. When Beowulf is in danger, like in the dragon's lair, they flee except for Wiglaf.
-It shows that if one is loyal, it can elevate a person from ordinary to heroic.
- Kinship
- Beowulf displays how kinship was important to the Anglo-Saxon society. When introduced every main character references back to his family heritage.- The characters in Beowulf are proud of their heritage and desire to live up towards the heroic ideals in order to give their family a good name.
Motifs
- Monsters
-Ominous sign from God—a sign of bad things to come-Represent an inhuman presence in society that must be eliminated in order for the society's safety
-Grendel and his mother wreak havoc in Heorot, so Beowulf must kill them for order to be restored
-Outsiders, existing beyond the boundaries of human realms (ex. Grendel and his mother live in an underwater cave far away from society)
-Grendel: descendant of Cain. Represents the evil of marauding and killing others.
-Grendel's mother: similar to Devil, could have seduced Beowulf
-Dragon: represents sin, and inevitable encounter with death since Beowulf dies after killing dragon
- Meadhall
-Heorot (Hrothgar's great hall in Denmark)-Provide entertainment, beverages, food, and singing
-Represents a safe haven for warriors returning from battle
-A place of community - where traditions are preserved, loyalty is rewarded, stories are told, and reputations are spread
-Represents the generosity of the community
- Spoken Word
-Establishes one's identity and helps to spread reputations-Celebration of cultural heroes
-Learn about others and make their stories known
-Ex. Grendel's story about his competition with Breca
- The Great Banquet
- The Great Banquest after Grendel's defeat represents the restoration of the Danish community and their sense of peace.6) Quotes from the text that capture major themes (at least 3):
"Grendel's hatred began,/...the monster relished his savage war/ On the Danes, keeping the bloody feud/ Alive, seeking no peace, offering/ No truce, accepting no settlement, no price/ In gold orland, and paying the living/ For one crime only with another. No one/ Waited for reparation from his plundering claws:/ That shadow of
death hunted in the darkness,/ Stalked Hrothgar's warriors."
pg. 28,
lines 151-160
This represents the endless cycle which the Danes face against the monster, Grendel, until he is defeated by Beowulf.
Quote 16: "When we crossed the sea, my comrades/ And I, I already knew that all/ My purpose was this: to win the good will/ Of your people or die in battle, pressed/ In Grendel's fierce grip. Let me live in greatness/ And courage, or here in this hall welcome/ My death!"pg. 43,
lines 632-638
Firstly, this represents loyalty, because Beowulf is stating how his purpose is to help his neighbors, the Danes, in this time of peril. Additionally, the quote represents the courage within the hero, Beowulf, regardless of the difficult situation.
7) Interpretive Questions (at least 3):
1. Is Beowulf's battle with Grendel's mother, "Saw that a creature / from above had come to explore her wer world. She welcomed him into her claw s, / clutched at him savagly, but could not harm him, / Tried to worve her fingers through the tight / ring-woven mail on his breast, but tore / and scratched in vain. Then she carried him, armor / And sword and all, to her home; he struggled / To free his weapon" (p. 70, lines 1499-1507) implying a more sexual encounter?2. Are Beowulf’s intentions for the good of the Geats or for the advancement of his own fame?
3. Beowulf's downfall can be credited to several factors, however, what was the major factor/reason to Beowulf's downfall?
8) Historical/Social Influences on text (include relevant author biography):
While exactly who wrote Beowulf is unknown, the person’s values and that of their society are highly evident throughout the epic poem. In the poem there is an influence of two religions, Paganism and Christianity. Pagans valued fame and vengeance. At one point in the poem Beowulf states, “It is better for us all to avenge our friends, not mourn them” (67). Since Beowulf can be observed as one of the earliest forms of a type of code for 8th century Anglo-Saxon warriors, the incorporation of ideas like vengeance of peers is typical.
The Pagans also had a love for treasure. “And this dragon’s treasure, his gold/And everything hidden in that tower, will be mine/ Or war will sweep me to a bitter death” (102). This quote proves that Beowulf valued pride and gold enough to be willing to die for it. Beowulf was willing to die in the name of pride; this was an important part of Pagan life, as well as braveness. Braveness, however, is not limited to any certain part in this novel, but is especially shown in the journeys that Beowulf endears.
Beowulf was also cremated. "Now the fire must feed on his body,/ Flames flames grow heavy and black with him". Cremation during this time was done by the Pagans (Christians buried their dead as they believed was a sanctuary and should not be dealt with in such a barbaric manner.) Also, Christian values are shown by the constant mentioning of God (Christians in contrast to Pagans believe in only one God). “Our Holy Father/ Has sent him a sign of His grace, a mark/ Of His favor, to help us defeat Grendel/ And end that terror” (35). Hrothgar thought of Beowulf as an omen from God to help the Danes defeat Grendel. In addition to the many mentions of God by name, there is also mention of a story from the Bible, the one of Cain and Abel. This creates two types of beings, one evil (represented by Cain), and the other good (represented by Abel). Other Anglo-Saxon values shown in Beowulf include the giving of gifts (Hrothgar gives Beowulf gifts after he defeats Grendel), friendship, and the idea of heroism.